The journey of Margret Chola’s transformation into a global style icon began in 2023, when her granddaughter, Diana Kaumba, a New York-based stylist, decided to give her grandmother a fashionable makeover. During a visit to Zambia for her father’s death anniversary, Kaumba dressed Margret in some of her high-end clothes and posted the photos on Instagram, expecting little more than a fun moment shared with family. What followed, however, was a viral sensation.
“At first, I wasn’t doing anything at the time, so I just said: ‘OK, why not?'” Chola recalled in an interview with the BBC. “You will miss me when I die, and at least this way you will remember me.” The first outfit, a striking silver pantsuit, was the catalyst for Margret’s newfound fame. The combination of bold fashion and her natural beauty quickly caught the attention of fashion lovers across the globe.